Contemporary science communication practice is deeply trapped in the dilemma of “knowledge transmission”: the public’s understanding of scientific conclusions is increasing day by day, but their spiritual identification with science has not improved correspondingly. The deep-seated crux lies in the long-term domination of an “epistemological” view of science, which narrowly understands science as a collection of objective knowledge, thereby severing the intrinsic connections between science and culture, values, and human life. Escaping from this dilemma requires a paradigm shift at the philosophical level. The philosophy of scientific culture provides the theoretical foundation for this shift. It views science, in its essence, as a human-created activity imbued with spiritual pursuits and cultural ideals; thus, the spirit of science and the spirit of the humanities are interconnected at the highest realm. Accordingly, the essence of science communication should shift from “knowledge transmission” to “meaning sharing.” This new paradigm contains three layers of implication: first, the sharing of knowledge shifts from transmitting conclusions to presenting the process of exploration; second, the sharing of spirit shifts from informing achievements to empathizing with the spiritual core of scientists pursuing freedom and cultural realm; third, the sharing of value shifts from demonstrating instrumental utility to achieving deep resonance between science and the public’s world of meaning. Only in this way can science communication truly bring science, as a “living culture, ” into the public’s spiritual world.

science communication  /  philosophy of scientific culture  /  knowledge transmission  /  meaning sharing